Saturday, February 15, 2014

This banana species grows towards the sky !!

I had been writing on different topics related to Sikkim since
last 10 years. From flipping over the pages of Sikkim heritage to Sikkim royal
family, from century old Sikkim Postal History to Shapi and today we will talk
about an unusual plant species. Rather a strange case, at least to me and few
of my friends when I showed them the photograph of it.

This was something weird and yet exciting when I first saw this
particular banana species while on the way to Gangtok sometime back. Since on
that particular day near Orange Village Resort, there was a long queue of
vehicles where the army vehicle had collided with a Bolero. From the lined in vehicle
where I was sited, I came across this banana species planted in-front of a
nearby residence. I had never come across such banana with its flower and
fruits growing upright towards the sky from the usual found banana flowers that
are grown towards the gravity.

Yes, you heard me true, a banana plant with its flower (bungaa)
and fruits growing upward against its normal grow. I was curious enough to go close to the plant
and looked at it and there was nothing fake about it, the banana fruits were
hanging upward facing the sky, very unusual.

I surfed through internet about this strange species but only
could find close resemblance with musa ornata, a banana
species of Indian origin. I shared the photograph with my friends who echoed it
to be morphed using Photoshop. This made me glad that the plant variety I came
across wasn’t a common one.

Few months later, I
have found another banana plant with similar features with the one from
Ranipool, this time at Mill dara, Dalapchand. When I was told by one of my
student Sudip Rai about a banana plant with its upright flower grown in his
field, I was in cloud nine. I went to his home and had a closer look of the
plant. The banana plant I saw at Sudip’s field was different from the one at
Ranipool, shorter in height and less slender.

Some say it as bad omen,
but it is true against all odds this banana species grows towards the sky!!

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About

When i started my blog on Sikkim way back in 2007, i had it clear on my mind that this blog shall help people look out for knowledge on Sikkim. I always wanted a knowledge house about Sikkim, its past, present and future. I do not know over the years how much did i succeed but my determination to let other understand my Sikkim is always giving me a push.
with regards
Shital Pradhan
(himalayanreview@gmail.com)